Fuel-control valve for internal-combustion engines.



0. Z. FRAZIER.

FUEL CONTROL VALVE FOR INTERNAL'COMQUSTION ENGINES.

APPLiCATION FILED JAN. 9. 1912;.

1,280,201., Patented M. 1, 1918.

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OBVILLE Z. FBAZIER, 0F ELKHART, INDIANA, ASSIGN 'OR 0F ONEPHALF T0 JAMES I BOYER, OF ELKHART, INDIANA.

I FUEL-CONTROL VALVE F 03 INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January e, 1918. Serial No. 211,062.

mechanism for controlling the flow of air.

and gaseous fuel to an internal combustion engine. My present improvements have been designed more particularly, although not exclusively, for use in cooperation with an internal combustion engine of the six-cycle type designed to use acetylene gas or a similar high pressure gas as fuel, which engine forms the subject matter of a co-pending application filed on the 22nd day of December, 1917, Serial No. 208,340.

Internal combustion engines which employ as fuel a combustible gas that is introduced to the engine under pressure involve conditions quite different from those existing in the case of engines using a vaporized fuel derived from gasolene, kerosene, or similar fuel existing naturally in the liquid state. In the latter case, it is of no consequence, so far as possible waste of fuel is concerned, that the engine stops with the intake valve of one or more cylinders open because the fuel is only pulled into the cylinder by suction. Where, however, the fuel employed is a gas existing under considerable pressure, it is essential, to prevent waste, to automatically cut off the'supply of this gas to the engine as soon as the latter ceases to operate; and the primary object of my present invention is to provide a simple, efficient, reliable and entirely automatic mechanism adapted to engines using a gaseous fuel under pressure, by which, the instant the engine stops running, the fuel supply shall be cut 03, and by which, as soon as the engine is started in operation, the fuel supply shall be opened up, and proper amounts of fuel be delivered to the cylinder or cylinders of the engine in properly timed relation to the intake strokes of the piston or pistons.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein I have illustrated a pracan operating arm 14:.

tical and workable embodiment of the inventive principle, and wherein Figure 1 is an elevational view of my improved mechanism, with the casing and pipe parts thereof shown mainly in vertical section; and I Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sectional details on i the corresponding linesvof Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, 5 designates a portion of the intake'manifold of an internal combustion engine designed to use a gaseous fuel under pressure such, for instance, as the engine disclosed in my co-pending application hereinabove identified. To the mani fold 5 is secured an air pipe line comprising in the instance shown two endwise connected sections 6 and 7, the intake end of the sec-' tion 6 being equipped with an ordinary spring-pressed valve 8, the main purpose of which is to arrest any leakage of fuel backward through the air intake pipe when the engine stops running.

Extending alongside the air intake pipe is a, fuel supply pipe comprising, in the in stance shown, a section 9 that'jjisparallel with a portion ofhe air pipe section 7 and may consist of a duct 9 coredin the latter,

a section 10,- a valve-casing section 11 having a longitudinal bore 11, and a section 12 communicating with the section 11 and leading from a gas generator or storage tank either directly or through an automatic pressure equalizing valve such, for instance, as is disclosed in another co-pending application filed by me on the 4th day of May, 1918, Serial No. 232,578.

Extending across the pipe sections 7 and 9 is a throttle valve shaft 13 equipped with On that section of the shaft 13 that lies in the air pipe section 7 is mounted an air butterfly valve 15, while the section of the shaft that crosses the fuel suppl passage 9 is enlarged, as shown at 13 ig. 2) and is transversely ported at 16 to form a fuel throttle valve. It will be noted that the fuel supply pipe merges into the air supply pipe at the point 17 (Fig. 1) be yond the respective throttle valves of the Coming now to the mechanism by which Patented met. 1, 191%.

the flow of fuel under its own pressure to the intake manifold of the engine is controlled so as to automatically open up the flow when the engine starts and auto1nati cally cut it off when the engine stops running, 18 designates the fuel control valve that, when closed, fits a seat 1!) in the valve casing 11, said seat intersecting the longitudinal duct 11 of the valve casing; This vaive has a depending extension 20 carrying at its lower end an abutment member 21 for a valve closing spring 22, the upper end of this latter abutting against the lower side of the casing 11, whereby the valve is normally held seated by the spring 22. The valve also has an upwardly extending stem 23 that, in this instance, passes across the air supply pipe 6. Near its upper end the valve stem 23 is undercut, thereby forming at the top of the stem a head 24.

25 designates as an entirety a casing that is mounted on the air supply pipe 6 and constitutes a housing for certain governor-controlled mechanism by which the valve 18 is positively opened when the engine is running. Within this casing and telescopically engaging the upper portion of the valve stem is a valve actuating member comprising a tubular portion 26 that telescopes the valve stem, and an upwardly extending stem portion 27 that terminates in a head 28. The tubular section 26 is slotted on opposite sides as shown at 29 opposite the undercut portion of the valve stem. Mounted on the stem section 27 of the valve actuating member is a plate 30, it being noted by reference to Fig. 4 that the plate 30 is engaged by a squared portion of the stem 27 so as to rotate with the latter under the rotating means hereinafter described. Pivoted in opposite sides of the plate 30 are a pair of governor arms 31 terminating at their upper ends in the usual balls 32. These arms are normally held in contracted position by springs 33. 34 designates depending extensions of the governor arms that terminate in inwardly projecting hooks 35 lying opposite the slots 29. The head 28 of the valve-actuating member is rotatably articulated in a casing 36, which latter is connected by an eccentric arm 37 and strap 38 to an eccentric 39 (Fig. 3) on a shaft 40 that is journaled in the casing 25. This shaft 40 is continuously driven from the engine.

The means for rotating the governor eon- -s ist of an engine-driven shaft 41 likewise j ournaled in the casing 25 and carrying at its lower end a broad-faced gear 42 that meshes with a narrow-faced gear 43 that is keyed on or integral with the tubular member 26. An annular shield or guard 44 also fast with the tubular member 2 6 .serves to limit the contracting movement of the governor arms through engagement with the lower ends of the extensions. 34.

waste offuel through leakage.

In the operation ofthe mechanism, when the engine is started by cranking manually or through a self starter, the shafts 40 and 41 are set in rotation, and the eccentric 39 reciprocates the valve-actuating member which telescopes the valve stem 23. Simultaneously the rotation of the shaft 41 is im parted to the governor and this throws the hooks 35 into clutching or gripping engagement with the head 24: of the valve stem, so that the reciprocating movement is imparted to the latter, positively opening the valve 18, the spring 22 acting to close it after each upward movement. In this way the valve 18 is positively opened and closed to admit the passage of fuel through the fuel supply pipe at each rotation of the eccentric 39. The instant the engine stops, however, the rotation of the governor ceases, and the springs 33 disconnect the valve-actuating .memher from the valve stem, thereby allow ing the spring 22 to draw the valve to its seat regardless of the position of the eccentric 39 at the stopping of the engine. It will thus be seen that the mechanism operates automatically to open up the supply of fuel as soon as the engine is started in operation and to automatically'cut off the supply of fuel the instant the engine stops running, regardless of the position of the eccentric 39 or of the valves which distribute the fuel to the cylinders of the engine. When the valve 18 is closed, any fuel on the engine side of the fuel supply pipe is trapped and retained both by the valve 18 and the air valve 8 until the engine is again started, thereby avoiding While the engine is running, the amount of the explosive charge admitted to the engine is easily controlled by the throttle valves 15 and 13, these valves being manually operated.

While I have shown and described a practical and preferred embodiment of my in vention, it will be manifest to those skilled in this art that the details may be considerably changed to suit individual preference or special conditions and requirements Without involving any departure from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof, and hence I do not limit the invention to-the particular form thereof herein disclosed except to the extent indioated in specific claims.

I claim:

1. In a mechanism for controlling the flow of gaseous fuel to an engine, the combination of a valve casing, a valve, means eonstantly urging said valve to closed position, valve-opening" means, and a governor-controlled connection between said valve-opening means and said valve which is inoperative when the engine is idle.

2. In a mechanism for controlling the flow of gaseous fuel to an engine, the combina tion of a valve casing, a valve, means consaid valve including two normally disconnected parts, and governor-controlled means for connecting said parts when the engine is running.

4'; In a mechanism for controlling the fiow of gaseous fuel to an engine, the combination of a valve casing, a valve, a valve-stem,- a spring constantly urging said valve to closed position, a valve-opening member having telescoping engagement with said valve stem, means for reciprocating said member, other means for rotating said member, governor-arms mounted on said member and carrying grips adapted to clutch said valve-stem when said arms are'expanded, and a spring acting to contract said governor-arms.

5. In a mechanism for controlling the flow of a' gaseous fuel to an engine, the combination of a valve casmg, a valve, a valve-stem,

a spring constantly urging said valve to closed position, an eccentric, a valve-opening member having an articulated connection to said eccentric permitting its rotation and also having telescoping engagement with said valve-stem, means for rotating said member, governor-arms pivoted on said member and formed with depending eX- tensions adapted, when the arms are expanded, to grip and raise said valve stem, and a spring tending to contract said governor arms.

6. In a mechanism for controlling the flow of gaseous fuel to an engine, the combination of a valve casing, a valve, a valve-stem formed with a head, a valve-closing spring, an eccentric, a valve-opening member having a slotted tubular portion telescoping over said valve-stem and its head and also having an articulated connection to said eccentric permitting its rotation, means for rotating sa1d member, governor arms pivoted on said member and formed with depending extensions terminating inhooks adapted to pass through the slots of said member and engage beneath the head of the valve stem when said arms are expanded, and a spring tending to contract said gov.- ernor arms.

. ORVILLE z. FRAZIER.

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